Dish Network unveiled its TV Everywhere suite of services today at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
While Time Warner CEO and Chairman Jeff Bewkes seemed to be among the first to use the “TV Everywhere” moniker early last year to describe video services over the Internet to cable operator subscribers, Dish Network trademarked the phrase late last year.
Dish Network’s TV Everywhere platform gives customers access to all of their live and recorded programming on a laptop, mobile device or anywhere in the home wirelessly.
The service uses the TV Everywhere Adapter that was developed in conjunction with EchoStar and its Sling Media affiliate to add Slingbox capabilities to existing Dish Network HD DVRs such as the ViP 722k.
The TV Everywhere Adapter connects to compatible set-top boxes via a single USB cable, removing the need for additional wires or a separate power supply. Once activated, the TV Everywhere Adapter provides Dish Network customers with the ability to watch their favorite TV programming anytime and anywhere on laptops and mobile phones.
“Dish Network is proud to introduce the first and only comprehensive solution for consumers to pay once for content and then remain connected to their TV everywhere,” said Ira Bahr, chief marketing officer for Dish Network. “Dish Network customers will be able to enjoy their favorite live and recorded shows throughout their home and on the go, using the same program guide, menu and navigation they are familiar with on their home TV.”
Dish Network is also showcasing its HD DuoDVR ViP 922 for TV Everywhere, which includes built-in Slingbox technology. The ViP 922 features a 1-terabyte hard drive with up to 1,000 hours of recording time.
Dish Network also introduced a Wi-Fi Monitor, which is a lightweight, portable, HD monitor developed by Sling Media. The monitor can wirelessly transmit an HD video signal from a set-top box to anywhere in the home via a Wi-Fi network. Sending HD signals around homes via Wi-Fi has been a trouble spot for video service providers since most of the current technology can’t handle the larger HD streams.
Dish also unveiled its Dish Remote Access App that lets subscribers transform their iPod and iPod Touch devices into remote controls for HD and SD receivers. Users can also set and delete timers on multiple receivers, browse and search nine days of shows and manage their DVR library by setting recording priorities, resolving recording conflicts and deleting programs they have already watched.
The Dish Remote Access App is currently available for free for both the iPhone and iPod Touch and can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store. Dish Network expects to launch the TV Everywhere Adapter, the ViP 922 and the Wi-Fi Monitor in the second quarter of 2010.
